Spectacular All Hallows Eve concert to take place in aid of Offaly Hospice

A spectacular 'All Hallows Eve' concert is set to take place this Halloween in aid of Offaly Hospice.

The concert will take place on Halloween night, Friday, October 31, from 8pm at the Church of the Assumption in Tullamore, featuring organist and violinist Bláithin Cotter and the Le Chéile Singers.

Bláithín has participated in organ masterclasses with Thomas Trotter, William Whitehead, Ann Elise Smoot, Amanda Mole, Mona Hartmann and Francesca Massey, to name a few. Performance venues to date include Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin; St Brigid’s Church, Stillorgan; Sandford Parish Church; the National Concert Hall; and in the Galway Cathedral.

Bláithín was awarded the FitzGerald Trophy and Sr Catherine McCauley Perpetual Cup at Feis Ceoil (2024), and first place in the TU Dublin Senior Recital Competition earlier this year.

A violin student of Professor Fionnuala Hunt, Bláithín was the winner of the Senior Violin competition at Feis Ceil (2022) and the Shanahan Memorial Trophy for advanced violin playing at Feis Maitiú, Cork (2024). She is currently completing her master’s in post-primary teaching at Trinity and is organist of All Saints’ Church, Mullingar.

Bláithín will play organ works by Bach, Stanford and Langlais and violin pieces from the pens of Bach and Prokofiev. She will also accompany the choir for their Vivaldi, Mozart and Bach pieces.

Based in Tullamore, Le Chéile Singers, the brainchild of Andrius Kozlovskis who established the choir in 2007, perform a broad repertoire of pieces from sacred and secular music to old standards and popular music with a twist.

Le Chéile Singers will present pieces by Mozart, Bach, Vivaldi, Bruckner, Biebl, Billy Joel and more. Arthur will play works by Bach, Buxtehude and Dalier aswell as his own setting of the traditional Port na bPúcaí. Cara and Luke will play traditional music on harp and uilleann pipes including Planxty Charles O’Connor by Turlough O’Carolan.

The Frobenius Organ (1965) in the Church of the Assumption, Tullamore was a precious gift from the Lutheran Community in Copenhagen at a time when the Church had recently been rebuilt following a devastating fire. Charles Marshall is the new Artistic Director of The Tullamore International Summer Organ Series which has been running since 1999. Next year is the 28th in the series and will begin on Tuesday, July 7.

Tickets are available from choir members, at the Esker Arts Centre Box Office and in the Offaly Hospice shop, and are priced at €15. Patrons may pay cash at the door.

Refreshments afterwards. More information from Tony 087 230 5385.